Skoda Superb Reviews

Enviro is going viral. Just about every maker has an ‘eco’ model on the market, and Skoda is not about to let that slice of the market get away either.Cue the Superb Greenline – the frugal sibling in the Czech brand’s large-size sedan line-up. Don’t let the ‘green’ reference fool you into thinking there’s hybrid or electric technology afoot. There’s a more-or-less normal diesel engine, but with a raft of nips and tucks designed to whittle fuel consumption.Similarly to its Volkswagen cousin, the Passat Bluemotion, the Greenline’s frugality has been achieved with taller gearing, engine remapping, low rolling resistance tyres, some aerodynamic nose and underbody tweaking and lowered suspension to reduce drag, and weight trimming with tricks like a foam-sealant tyre repair kit replacing the 13kg spare wheel in the boot.Drivetrain Essentially, it carries the same somewhat aged VW-sourced 78kW/250Nm 1.9-litre turbodiesel engine as the normal version (offered in overseas markets), which although a bit long in the tooth is itself if a fairly frugal operator at 5.69L/100km. The engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission as the only box on offer.We don’t have that engine in the range launched locally this week, comprising 118kW/250Nm1.8-litre and 191kW350Nm 3.6-litre V6 petrol engines and a 125kW/350Nm 2-litre turbodiesel – all mated to Volkswagen’s DSG twin-clutch automatic transmission.And if we do get the Greenline here, Skoda Australia would be very keen to have the DSG in play. “The Australian market doesn’t really have the desire to drive manual cars – the majority of drivers are automatic drivers,” says Skoda spokesman Karl Gehling.Economy and emissions The Superb’s Greneline changes slice 12 per cent off the fuel consumption, resulting in an official figure of 5.09L/100km. We had half a day with the Greenline in Slovenia, mostly cruising around at 100-120km/h, but with about 40 minutes spent nudging through an accident and some roadworks, and at least an hour at around 140km/h on the autobahn system. Neither of those last two driving styles will help you keep the consumption low, but we finished the day at just 5.1L/100km overall. Emissions have also been cut by nearly 10 per cent, dropping the CO2 from 150g/km to 136g.kmAppearance and fit-out The standard Superb has fairly conservative styling – nothing there to offend, and little to excite either. But while you’d think anything touted as green would just mean the design equivalent of added brown rice and hemp sandals, the changes to the Greenline actually improve its looks a tad, with the lowered stance and a tiny boot spoiler giving it a hint of cheek.That boot is worth a second look, too, for the nifty ‘twindoor’ function that means it can be opened as either a normal bootlid or – by pressing a button that locks the bootlid onto the rear window – as a hatch. That function allows you full access into a black hole of space so cavernous we feared bags might disappear in there and not be found without calling on a search party.The cockpit is classy, showing some happy DNA from the VW Golf GTI, and while it’s not in the prestige class there’s a definite impression of quality.To the Superb’s baseline equipment list – including umbrella holder in rear door, over-ride on the passenger possie among the seven airbags, stability control and eight-speaker MP3-compatible CD audio – the Greenline adds cruise control, darker tinted glass beyond the B-pillar, and a few leather and metal accents.PricingThere’s no firm decision on what the Greenline would cost in Australia, but an indication can be given from the overseas difference, where it’s about a $1500 step up from the base level. So if Skoda get’s its wish for the DSG, expect somewhere between there and $3000 as a premium to go green.Driving The curious thing about the changes made to render a normal Superb into a green one is that most of them could be applied across the range. So it’s a mystery why they aren’t, especially as they don’t seem to undermine the driving experience.Sure, the 1.9-litre sounds a bit agricultural, especially at idle. But it’s going to sound like that anyway, whether in a green car or not. The five-speed manual could do with an extra slot at the top, but otherwise is well tacked onto the engine, working with the throttle to wring the best out of the unit.The lowered suspension and reduced weight are probably key factors in its surprisingly agile handling ability, but it still rides well enough over rougher sections to absorb most of the irritation.It’s roomy and comfortable – front and back – and is very quiet except for some noise from the low-resistance rubber.If we ended up with a niggle, it was the Greenline badge on the boot. Rather than trumpeting its greener ability with a slick visual fillip to the Superb nameplate, the little chrome rectangle seems like almost self-effacing statement on what is quite a good car. Standard Skoda operating procedure, then.Make One Degree of difference today by calculating your carbon footprint and finding out what you can do to reduce it.

Here is another entrant in the Australian family car market. One that's so completely different it may not be noticed the first time you draw up your short list of vehicles.

Or it could be just plain hubris. Whatever, you are really asking for it labelling your product ‘Superb.’This is the moniker of Skoda's flagship passenger car, which arrives here early next year. Fortunately, the Superb happens to be rather good in any language.The Czech marque's `more metal for your money motif' is embodied by a car that surpasses Ford's Mondeo for the title of Europe's best-value big family device.To put the Superb in terms of its prestige-priced corporate sibling Audi, it packs the most sophisticated Volkswagen Group powertrains in a package that surpasses Audi's A6 for size, yet will come in perhaps five figures cheaper than the smaller A4.The Superb renders big Australian six-cylinder family cars obsolete. It really is that accomplished.The entry-level TSI is powered by the VW Group's sparkling 1.8-litre direct-injection turbo petrol engine. Ignore that small capacity and its modest 118kW/250Nm output – all that torque is grabbed from a diesel-like low of 1500rpm, getting the 1.454 tonne front-wheel-driver from standing to 100km/h in 8.6 seconds.Driven with restraint, it will use as little as 7.6 litres of premium unleaded per 100km and emit 180g of CO2 per kilometre.An entry-level Commodore — with fewer cogs and 2000cc greater engine capacity to haul its massively greater weight — is not much faster and nowhere near as efficient or clean.If the case for big Aussie sixes is already fading, consider further that the newest Skoda uses the newest form of the manual-matic Direct Shift Gearbox, one that every marque from Porsche down to Mitsubishi and back up to BMW is emulating.This edition of DSG has a seventh forward gear, to assist pace off the mark and provide a leaner-running top ratio.The 1.8 TSI will be launched with a counterpart using VW's latest four-cylinder common-rail turbo diesel. With 125kW, this edition of the 2.0 TDI has mountainous torque of 350Nm, making for mighty mid-range acceleration. This car we expect to be priced in the low- to mid-40s.These front-wheel-driven Superbs will be joined later in '09 by an all-wheel-drive V6 with the 191kW/350Nm 3.6-litre direct injection petrol engine usually found in two-tonne-plus SUVs, including Porsche's Cayenne. We'd say about $52K for this one.If you're beginning to think the Superb is little more than another Czech derivative of VW Group product, Skoda asserts its individuality with execution and innovation all its own.First of all, it's long – almost 4.9m – with pendulous overhangs at either end, built on a platform that combines the Passat and what will be next year's Mk VI Golf.Though it's narrower than an Australian sedan, the interior space is cavernous. With a beanpole colleague comfortably ensconced in the driver's seat (“I could drive from Sydney to Brisbane like this,” he said), 185cm me still has a suitcase of space between knees and front seat. With back doors almost as big as the front, you have limo-like egress.Three passengers are seated in sublime comfort, a fourth tolerably.Then there's a Falcon-beating 565 litres of storage – 1670 with the back seats folded flat. This is accessed by the Twindoor – a rear gate that opens either in the manner of a sedan, or as a roof-hinged liftback.As to the exterior design, ‘conservative' is one word; ‘derivative’ is another. But the interior is outstanding, as pleasant as it is capacious. Even on cars without leather, it's close to Audi standards.We'll see two trim levels – Ambition and Elegance – both of which have literally superb standard kit, including ESP, at least seven airbags, and adaptive headlights. The European model has just been given a five star ENCAP crash test rating.An introductory drive through the Austrian Alps revealed a quiet, composed and dynamically competent performer with any of these transversely mounted engines.While the diesel's torque equals that of the V6 petrol, the DSG's propensity to leap into top gear for economy's sake means you need to constantly change down manually or engage sport for the sake of pressing on.Left alone, it can realise six litres per 100km and delivers with poise and predictability, leaving the growling and snarling to the top model.Up-gunned from the 3.2-litre job found elsewhere in the VW group, the newer version has a top end to match its low-down urge — and the sound to match. Though 100 per cent of the torque goes through the front wheels in straight-ahead driving, in extremis it shifts all 350Nm to the back via a Haldex coupling.Response is sharp, though you're always aware that you're trying to turn 1665kg. It helps that the electrically assisted power steering is weighted just about perfectly.The brakes on all versions, though, are grabby to the extent that smooth progress in slow going is a challenge.The pick has to be the entry-level model with that 1.8-litre turbo. This car proves capacity remains a measure of performance only in America and Australia: that it's not how much you've got but what you do with it, and that less really can be more.Next to the more hesitant six-speed DSGs standard in the diesel and V6, the TSI's enhanced transmission noticeably improves response off the mark and rewards with a raspy and characterful engine note.As both a brand-building exercise and as the family car for the times, the Superb loses nothing in the translation.Make One Degree of difference today by calculating your carbon footprint and finding out what you can do to reduce it.